Parsing the latest comments on the quarterback competitions at Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of the 2023 season, yet quarterback competitions across the country continue to rage on. 

Florida’s Billy Napier is one of the few head coaches to name a starter after the team’s first scrimmage in fall camp, with Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz beating out Jack Miller. 

Elsewhere, Auburn’s three-way battle remains undecided, Jaxson Dart and Spencer Sanders continue to duke it out at Ole Miss and DJ Uiagalelei shined in Oregon State’s scrimmage and has emerged as the frontrunner for the job. 

But what about the three College Football Playoff contenders with open competitions?

Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama are all ranked in the Top 5 of both major preseason polls, and to date, all three programs still have ongoing battles at the most important position. 

Nick Saban is waiting on that cake to still bake. Ryan Day hasn’t seen enough separation yet. And Kirby Smart seems more concerned with the guys surrounding whoever QB1 is. 

So what’s the latest on each battle?

Alabama: Jalen Milroe vs. Ty Simpson vs. Tyler Buchner

Nick Saban will not tip his hand on Alabama’s ongoing quarterback competition, usually throwing up a stop sign before a reporter can even finish asking a question about the Tide’s three-way competition. 

Milroe reportedly has taken the most 1st-team reps thus far in camp, but Simpson is right there in the mix and Buchner remains the safest option due to his familiarity with new Tide OC Tommy Rees. 

Depending on who you poll, opinions vary on whether the starter will ultimately be Milroe or Simpson. What’s evident is there’s been little separation between the group. While Saban has shied away from specifics, throughout fall camp he’s insisted, “Somebody’s got to separate themselves.”

On Tuesday, he expressed some slight frustration, saying, “What I tell the quarterbacks is, ‘It’s not up to the coaches. You’re looking over your shoulder to see if the coach is going to do this or that. 

“How about you forcing me to play you? Force us to play you. When you get your reps and you get a chance to play, you play so good we don’t have any choice but to play you.”

None have clearly “forced” Saban’s hand yet.

In an effort to optimize practice reps, the competition could whittle down to two after the Tide’s second scrimmage this Saturday, but we’re inching closer and closer to Alabama not settling on an answer until after its Week 1 game against Middle Tennessee State.

Georgia: Carson Beck vs. Brock Vandagriff

The Bulldogs held their first scrimmage Saturday in scorching hot conditions, and while the quarterbacks reportedly did not have a great day, their struggles were magnified by lackluster performances around them. 

Georgia is beat-up at tailback right now, and its receiving unit, although deep and talented, has been plagued by drops throughout fall camp battling the conditions and humidity. 

“I’d like to see all of them play better,” Smart said of Beck and Vandagriff. 

“But the people around them have to play better. When you evaluate a quarterback and you say, ‘Well, he threw an interception.’ Well, he hit a guy in the hands and it bounced through his hands and got intercepted. Obviously, we can judge there. If there are seven drops in the scrimmage because of wet hands and heat, then you evaluate that. But I don’t think any of those quarterbacks would tell you they played their best game.

With more tenure and upside, Beck remains on track to be UGA’s starter in Week 1, but he won’t just be handed the job. For a team aiming to three-peat, Smart wants to see more consistency — from both quarterbacks — if “we’re going to get where we want to go.”

Ohio State: Kyle McCord vs. Devin Brown

While it’s not a surprise that Alabama and Georgia have yet to name a starter — even midway through fall camp — it’s a bit more notable that Ryan Day hasn’t landed on the Buckeyes’ QB1 for 2023. 

McCord or Brown have major shoes to fill in Columbus, as Ohio State’s last three starters were all 1st Round picks and Heisman Trophy finalists.

McCord entered as the frontrunner, but the former 5-star hasn’t displayed enough separation from Brown to outright win the job. Not yet at least. 

“At times, you walk off the field and say, ‘That’s our guy,’” Day said. 

“Then you come off the next day and you’re like, ‘That’s our guy.’ So what you have to do is you have to continually get reps, and then come up for air, and kind of sort it all through.”

With more experience and familiarity with Day’s offense, McCord is still the favorite to start Week 1 against Indiana, and Day hinted a decision could come as early as next week after Ohio State’s second scrimmage. 

Day “won’t be held to a deadline,” but “the last couple of quarterback battles we’ve had sorted itself out here in the next week.”

For now, Brown has done enough to make the battle interesting, and he’s at least positioned himself to possibly earn a look early in the season if McCord struggles. 

“It’s hard to name someone when there isn’t a significant gap,” Day said.